Chapter 31

Gabriela stiffened-the memory of Brenden forwarding her complaint about Wesley flashing through her mind. With quiet remorse, she admitted, "I misjudged you before, Mr. Moss. That was my mistake-l hope you'll overlook it this once."

Wesley finally pushed aside the stack of documents and spun his chair toface her, a low, amused chuckle escaping his lips. "No need for apologies. I'm a ruthless businessman, after all."

The self-deprecating jab caught Gabriela off guard.

Without warning, Wesley flung a heavy stack of paperwork onto her desk. "Memorize it. I'll be quizzing you tomorrow."

She grabbed the papers before they slid off the desk, alarmed by the sheer thickness-almost as thick as her own hand. There was no way she could memorize it all in one night.

On top of that, Wesley's schedule was jam-packed with back-to-back meetings and offsite appointments,and she was expected to shadow him the entire day. There wouldn't be a single spare minute to study.

Almost as if he'd read her thoughts, Wesley's tone turned brisk. "You want to know the essence of a ruthless businessman? I get every ounce of value from my people. If you can't find time during work, put in the extra hours at night."

Wesley's attitude toward her was nothing short of personal, and indignation prickled beneath Gabriela's calm exterior.

Still, the hefty paycheck made her bite back every retort. Besides, she'd brought this on herself.

Lesson learned,she thought bitterly. Wesley's name would never again dance on the tongue of her gossip.

Keeping her tone bright and unruffled, Gabriela replied, "Of course not, Mr. Moss. You're nothing like that.I know this is just part of the job." Wesley flashed a rare, satisfied smile. "Smart girl. You catch on fast."

With her pride stung but her bank account in mind, Gabriela powered through the chaotic day, determined to prove herself.

Luckily,Wesley kept his distance, preoccupied with his endless meetings and too busy to nitpick.

Later that afternoon, Gabriela trailed after Wesley as he strode out of the building, only to discover he'd lined up a golf match with Mason-the CEO of Alphacom Electronics.

Mason glanced over, his curiosity clearly piqued by Gabriela's presence at Wesley's side.

By the time the match wrapped up, the sun was already low in the sky. Wesley's work, however, showed no signs of slowing;he dove back into his paperwork and didn't come up for air until nearly eight.

One by one, the rest of the staff trickled out, until only Wesley remained, hunched over a mountain of documents.

Spotting her chance as Tessa and Billy had slipped away, Gabriela quietly gathered her things, hoping to make a discreet exit.

She edged up to his desk and cleared her throat. "Um, Mr. Moss.."

Wesley's voice stayed businesslike, eyes fixed on the desk. "How much of the material I gave you today did you manage to memorize?"

The question caught Gabriela completely off guard.

Was that question even reåsonable? Had he seriously forgotten she'd been glued to his side since noon,barely able to catch her breath, let alone cram a pile of notes?

She'd already planned it: trudge home first, chase the promise of a hot shower to wash off the day-then pull an all-nighter to memorize those notes.

Wesley's loaded question made it clear he fully expected her to stay late and grind through overtime with him.Wasn't that pushing things a little too far?But when Gabriela glanced at his unreadable face and then remembered the promise of a generous salary,she plastered on her borightest smile.

If she could survive grad school entrance exams, she could survive memorizing a stack of company files.

With a deep breath, Gabriela gathered the files, her mind already shifting into study mode.

As she read each word on the paper, she blinked in surprise.

Why was every detail on this sheet about Wesley, right down to his birthday?

December 27th? That was only a few days ago, right?

Her mind flashed back to the plate of pasa she'd fixed for him earlier that week. So that had been his birthday. No wonder he'd looked so frustrated when she hadn't realized what the day was.

But honestly, how was she supposed to know the boss's birthday on her first week as an intern?

Wesley just took offense at the slightest thing.

Gabriela pressed on with her memorization, scanning down the list.

Celery, sprouts, cilantro, garlic-every item made his"dislike" list.

Anything remotely spicy or pungent was out too: onions, chili, pepper, cumin-none of it could touch his plate.

The more she read, the more it felt familiar. She blurted out, "Mr. Moss, your food preferences are almost exactly like Mr. Saunders'."

Both of them were picky eaters.

No sooner had she spoken than she covered her mouth, silently begging for a chance to take it back.

To an outsider, she and Brenden would've barely known each other-how could she possibly know his list of forbidden foods? Letting that slip in front of Wesley was practically an admission.

Still, she couldn't entirely blame herself. It was only her first day in the executive office, and the nonstop whirlwind had left her frazzled. She'd barely survived the workday before getting saddled with another stack of files to memorize, and in her exhaustion,she hadn't watched her tongue.

As expected, Wesley's expression turned frosty without missing a beat. He leveled a piercing stare at her."It seems like you know a lot about Brenden. Maybe I should transfer you so you can be by his side?"

Gabriela clamped her lips shut, refusing to let another careless word slip.

She genuinely didn't want Brenden shipped off to Afluena, but she had even less interest in following him there. If she hadn't needed him toplay the part of her boyfriend, she'd have gladly erased him from her life.

Wesley's scowl deepened at the mention of Brenden, irritation radiating off him in waves. "We're done here for today," he snapped, abruptly ending the conversation.

Gabriela swiftly gathered her things, tucking the stack of documents Wesley had assigned her into a tote bag-making a show of it, just to prove her diligence right under his nose.

That subtle act actually seemed to soften the edge of his mood.

Wesley fell into step beside her as they headed for the elevator. He hit the button for the basement without a word.

Nerves prickled at the back of Gabriela's neck. "Mr. Moss, is it all right if I head out from the lobby instead?"she ventured cautiously.

Night had already fallen, and she worried the bus might leave without her if she was delayed any longer.

Wesley shot her a cool glance as he queried, "You really think I'd let a young woman head home by herself at this hour?"

Gabriela couldn't help but think that, with Wesley's prickly temperament, he was hardly the type to personally see off his employees-yet here he was.

When they reached the parking lot, she slipped wordlessly into the passenger seat, needing no prompting this time. To mask her discomfort, Gabriela buried herself in the thick stack of documents, pretending to study every page with laser focus.

The file read like an exhaustive dossier on Wesley-from the colors he liked to wear, down to the exact type of tie and even detailed steps for making his preferred coffee.

She mused that if she ever decided to leak this to the paparazzi, she could probably demand at least five figures for it.

Catching her not-so-subtle glance, Wesley kept his eyes on the road as he remarked, "You planning to memorize the materials by staring at me?"

Gabriela jerked her gaze back to the papers, cheeks flushing as she pretended to read.

Honestly, he was outrageous-demanding she commit a massive amount of personal information to memory without letting her catch his eye.

Determined to focus, Gabriela buried herself in the document-until her eyes snagged on a section listing Wesley's physical attributes.

Standing six foot two, he had long legs, a trim waist, wide shoulders, and a perfectly sculpted V-shaped torso.

He really did have the kind of build agencies dreamed of for runway shows.

Unable to help herself, she sneaked a quick sideways look.

His tie had come slightly undone; two buttons on his shirt were open, exposing the slight movement of his Adam's apple.

Just beneath, the line of his collarbone caught the soft overhead light.

Rumor was he jogged at dawn, which explained the smooth, defined muscle beneath his tailored clothes-every inch of him fit and athletic.

Wesley was the complete package: sharp mind, arresting looks, a body that seemed carved for envy. Gabriela was lost in thought until Wesley's low voice shattered the hush. "Eyes on the road."

She jolted upright, heart thudding as reality snapped back into focus.

A confused moment ticked by before she remembered-she wasn't the one at the wheel. Did he catch on that her mind had been spinning wild fantasies about him?

It wasn't her fault, to be fair. With Wesley's commanding presence filling the car, how could she not let her thoughts stray sometimes?

She ducked behind the stack of documents, cheeks flushed, refusing to risk another glance his way.

So she failed to notice the faint, knowing curve of a smile tugging at Wesley's lips.

The drive from the office to Rosemont Gardens blurred past in a quiet half hour.

When the car finally rolled to a stop, Gabriela gathered her things and offered a polite, "Thank you for the ride home, Mr. Moss."

For the boss himself to chauffeur a secretary-it was almost absurdly gentlemanly.

Wesley's eyes flicked to the folders in her hands. "Go over those tonight. I'll be testing you myself tomorrow."

Gabriela's fleeting gratitude vanished before it could take root.

In the shadows cast by the car's dim interior, she forced a brittle smile, jaw set with determination. "Don't worry, Mr. Moss. If it takes all night to get these down, then I won't sleep until I have."

Wesley's lips curved with approval. "That's what I like to hear."

She slipped out of the car and started toward the gates-only to find Phyllis waiting for her on the sidewalk.

Phyllis's stubborn devotion was nothing short of legendary; not a single day passed without her loitering outside the mansion's iron gates.

Tonight she'd outdone herself. Dustin stood at her side, and, to Gabriela's astonishment, even Josh and Marie had turned up for the late-night vigil. Without sparing a glance for Phyllis, Dustin, or Marie, Gabriela strode toward Josh, offering him a warm,easy smile. "Uncle Josh, what are you doing out here at this hour?"

Josh's brow creased as he carefully searched for the right words to address a delicate topic. "You're back awfully late tonight. Are you..."

Before Gabriela could answer, Marie cut in, her voice sharp with accusation, "Look at her, acting all high and mighty since she started at that big company. Doesn't even remember to greet her own family anymore."

Gabriela turned and nodded, her tone flat. "Aunt Marie."

Phyllis stepped forward, unable to hide her nosiness. "So, who gave you a ride home, Gabriela? Was it your new boyfriend behind the wheel?"

Gabriela met her gaze without flinching. "He's not my boyfriend. He's my boss."

Phyllis scoffed, arms folded, eyes narrowed, "Oh please. If you're going to lie, at least put some effort into it.What kind of boss bothers giving a lowly intern a ride home?"